On February 16, 1996, Canada issued the last two dollar note, permanently replacing them with the two dollar coin (more commonly referred to as the toonie). The two dollar note had been a staple in Canadian currency for about 125 years, almost as long as Canada's been a country.
Since the inception of the Bank of Canada in 1935, there have been five separate series of two dollar bank notes released to the public. Each bill carries a unique serial number, the Canadian dollar value, and is signed by the current governor and deputy governor of the Bank of Canada. With the exception of the first 1935 series, all two dollar bank notes are similarly coloured with a reddish orange tint.
1935 Series
1937 Series
1954 Series
- Colour: Black with red tint
- Face: Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
- Back: Landscape from Richmond, Quebec
- Serial: Two letters followed by seven digits
- In 1957, the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was modified due to the illusion of a Devil's Face in the highlights of her hair.
1974 Multi Coloured Issue
1986 Bird Series
- Colour: Terra cotta with pastel colours in a rainbow pattern
- Face: Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
- Back: American robin
- Serial: Three letters followed by seven digits
- Date of issue: September 2, 1986
- The bird series introduced the use of machine-readable bar codes next to the serial number
Information on the history of this Canadian bank note taken from Paul Wallis' Canadian Paper Money website at www.cdnpapermoney.com